Version 2.1 Update: Fixes model not displaying when selecting this repaint in most recent versions of product.
This repaint, made for the FlyingIron Simulations Spitfire Mk.IXc, depicts the restored Spitfire Mk.XVI TB252 as it appears today. Owned by Charles Somers, the aircraft is registered as N752TB and is based at McClellan Airport (KMCC) in Sacramento, California. The real-life restored TB252 has been fitted with full-length wingtips, where as when it was originally manufactured, and saw service, it had clipped wings. This repaint is configured so that you can choose either to fly it with the full-length wingtips or with the clipped wings.
~ Spitfire Mk.XVI TB252 History ~
Spitfire TB252 was manufactured as a 'high-back' Mk.XVI by the Castle Bromwich Aeroplane Factory, located near Birmingham, UK. The Mk.XVI is essentially identical to that of a Mk.IX Spitfire, but is powered by a Packard-built Merlin 266, rather than a Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 as fitted to the Mk.IX. Immediately following completion, TB252 was delivered to No 9 Maintenance Unit at Cosford on January 6, 1945. After some preparations for service were performed at Cosford, the aircraft was then sent to No 84 Group Support Unit at Thruxton, Wilts on March 1, 1945, for final preparations and assignment to No 329 (Cigognes) Sqdn., a Free French unit operating with the RAF. The squadron was based at an Advanced Landing Ground situated in Schijndel, Holland, and within a week of joining the unit the aircraft sustained damage as, on March 8th, it was sent to No 411 Repair and Salvage Unit. Following repairs, on March 15, 1945, TB252 was reissued to RAF No 341 (Alsace) Sqdn., another Free French unit. With No 341 Sqdn. the aircraft was given the fuselage code 'NL-J' and it took part in nearly 50 combat missions before VE-Day. In July the unit moved to Fassberg, Germany, and when 341 Sqdn. was ultimately disbanded in November 1945, TB252 was transferred to No 135 Wing and two months later to No 350 (Belgian) Sqdn of No 146 Wing, also based at Fassberg. TB252 continued to serve with the Belgians at Fassberg and St-Denijs-Westrem until further damage was sustained in the fall of 1946. During its time with the Belgian unit, it sported full Belgian Air Force markings with its regular pilot, M. Doncq, coded 'MN-J', and had the name 'Mimie' painted by the cockpit.
The Spitfire returned to the UK with No 151 Repair Unit on October 15, 1946, and was issued to No 61 Operational Training Unit at RAF Keevil in Wiltshire in May 1947. No 61 OTU later became No 203 Advanced Flying School, moving to Chivenor in October 1947, where TB252 was coded 'HX-X'. On November 30, 1948, TB252 survived a mid-air collision with Spitfire SL577, making a forced landing near Braunton, Devon, and the aircraft was transferred to the School of Land Air Warfare at Old Sarum in January 1949. In late February 1953 it was placed into storage with No 53 Maintenance Unit, at Lyneham, where it would remain for more than two years until it was taken back out again for use as a Ground Instructional Airframe at RAF Odiham from September 1955. By August 1959, it was placed displayed on the gate at RAF Acklington as a 'gate guard'. It somehow avoided being used in the movie Battle of Britain and in July 1969 it was moved to RAF Boulmer, Northumberland, and soon after to RAF Leuchars, still in-use as a gate guard. In the spring of 1986, it was moved again to become a gate guard at Bentley Priory.
After the RAF decided to remove genuine Spitfires from gate guard displays, TB252 was acquired by Tim Routsis in 1988 and the airframe was relocated to the Essex workshops of Vintage Fabrics. Found to be in remarkably complete condition, the fighter was moved to Historic Flying Ltd's workshops at Audley End in 1990. Registered as G-XVIE, restoration work began in late 1997 for a new owner, Nicholas Springer of Germany, but this was halted when the aircraft was sold again in 2001 to P&A Wood. In May 2002 the Spitfire was sold again, this time to American collector and pilot Tony Banta of California. The UK registration was canceled and it was re-registered in the US as N7252B. The project was then sent to Avspecs, located at the Ardmore Airport in New Zealand, where it arrived in October 2002 for restoration to complete and authentic flying condition. Over the next several years the restoration progressed, but intermittently, and as it got nearer to completion it became a back-burner project at request of the aging owner. It was ultimately put up for sale in 2018, advertised as one of the most original Spitfires still remaining.
In 2019, California-based collector and pilot Charles Somers purchased the aircraft and contracted with Avspecs to have it completed to 100% authentic configuration, to compete for the EAA Airventure Oshkosh World War II Trophy. The aircraft was completed by December 2020 and it is highly detailed throughout, including fully stock and detailed interior confines, cockpit, gun bays, and it is fitted with its genuine original Merlin 266 engine, as it last used in service. The aircraft returned to the air on December 17, 2020, piloted by John Lamont, flying from the Ardmore Airport. During this time the aircraft was temporarily registered as ZK-NLJ. With the flight testing completed, it was then shipped to the US, arriving in April 2021, and was assembled and test flown again at the McClellan Airport (KMCC) in Sacramento, California, where the owner bases his growing collection of world-class warbirds. It was issued its FAA airworthiness certificate on May 4th, with its new registration N752TB. It was originally planned to have the aircraft completed in-time to be at EAA Airventure Oshkosh in 2020, but of course COVID changed those plans quite fast. Hopefully the plan is still to bring TB252 to Oshkosh this summer.
~ A Note About the Paint Scheme ~
The paint scheme seen on the restored TB252, and as recreated by this repaint, was chosen by the owner to depict a No 341 (Alsace) Squadron Spitfire, circa July/August 1944, in order to have the (reduced) invasion stripes present, as well as the Free French flag insignia. This is of course a time period several months before TB252 ever existed. However, the NL-J codes, and all other details of the paint work, are absolutely correct to the aircraft's original Castle Bromwich production and its service history with No 341 Sqdn in the spring of 1945. It has also been fitted with full-length wing tips, which it never had in service, having always been a clipped-wing variant (for this repaint, I provide the option to fly it either way).
~ Repaint Details ~
- Although based on the product paintkit, the textures have been considerably modified and improved. Customized complete maps (PBR) and normal maps (3D detail) have been made.
- The positioning of the rivets and panel lines on the left elevator has been fixed (they're not positioned correctly in the product paint schemes).
- The inaccurate access panels on the engine cowlings have been removed and the actual access panels, as found on TB252, have been added, as well as a couple of panel lines missing in the product paint schemes.
- Numerous access panels have been added around the fuselage, wings and tail where they are missing on the product paint schemes/paintkit.
- The cannon shell and link ejector chutes, as well as the bomb rack connection points and jack holes, have been added into the textures on the base of the wings.
- All aspects of the paint work were created completey from scratch to match, as close as realistically possible, the real restored TB252.
- All of the stencils are done to match the restoration, which in-turn are also specifically accurate to Castle Bromwich production. For instance, the wing walkway and wing trestle stencils are unique to Castle Bromwich production - each letter reproduced in high resolution to match.
- All serial number stencils are specifically accurate to the real aircraft's individual component serial numbers.
- The red-doped fabric patches on the starboard rear fuselage and under the ailerons have a pinked-edge to the fabric, which has also been added to the normal maps.
- Prop stencils have been added, front and back, as they are on the restored TB252.
- The textures for the main landing gear and tail gear, landing gear inner doors, wheels, tires, wheel wells, and pitot tube have all been modified. There is now a uniform silver-painted finish to the landing gear, inner landing gear doors and wheel wells, which are all authentically painted silver on the real TB252.
- Modified cockpit door texture with stenciling and silver crowbar, matching the restored TB252.
Impressive !
Could it be possible to have a version without the invasion stripes ?
2 years ago
PePe_FR
Superb skill and attention to detail.
3 years ago
flapper